topic four
New Ideas and Knowledge
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The Age of European Exploration
The Age of European Exploration
The time in history when Europeans began to explore other parts of the world is called the ‘Age of European Exploration’. This was in the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and British ships left the shores of Europe on long voyages to explore the seas and the continents they knew very little about.
The Renaissance brought about many changes in science and technology. Europeans had been trading with countries in the Middle East and in China for centuries. Many new inventions were made by Europeans during the renaissance or were taken from other parts of the world they had visited.
We will now look at the new and borrowed inventions that made the European voyages of exploration possible.
Inventions: caravel and gunpowder
Inventions: caravel and gunpowder
1. Caravels
1. Caravels
A new sailing ship, the caravel, was invented in Portugal in the 15th century. It had special sails that allowed the ship to sail into the wind, which meant it did not need people to row the ship. The caravel had strong masts and strong sails. It was faster and safer than other sailing ships and helped European sailors to explore further. The caravels could change direction quickly. They were suited for long journeys and could sail in strong winds.
2. Guns and gunpowder
2. Guns and gunpowder
The European explorers took new powerful guns on their ships. Gunpowder was used to shoot bullets from guns. The Arabs produced the first gun. Europeans got information about gunpowder through the writings of Arab scientists. Cannons shot cannonballs filled with gunpowder to far away targets at high speed. This meant the ship’s crew could attack and defeat people who did not welcome them.
Gunpowder is also called black powder. It was the first explosive and was invented by the Chinese.
Cannons are weapons that used gunpowder to shoot a heavy iron cannon ball at a target.
New ideas and technology
New ideas and technology
European ships could now sail further away from land because many new technologies had been invented which helped sailors to find the way.
1. MAGNETIC COMPASS
A compass helps sailors to find the way. It has a magnetic needle attached to a disk. The point of the needle always points north. The magnetic compass made it possible for sailors to take their ships further out into the open sea instead of always staying close to the land. Once they were out at sea, they were able to use these new instruments to find out where they were and where they could go.
2. NEW MAPS
Renaissance scientists drew new maps of the world. Understanding that the Earth is round opened the way for European sailors to sail more confidently across the sea.
3. ASTRONOMICAL TELESCOPE
Telescopes are instruments specially built for looking at far away objects. The astronomical telescope was invented and used to study the moon, sun and stars.
Now watch the video to below to learn a little bit more about how these things helped the explorers.
Work Time
Continue in your workbook on Topic 4. Follow all the instructions given.
The first activity is to make bullet points of the information above and the second activity is to use those bullet points to write an effective summary.
Please pay attention to the quality of your sentences and to your handwriting. Thank you! :)
EXTENSION ACTIVITY
Now try the follow quiz to see what you can remember from today's lesson.
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